"Total wipeout."
When Qin Xiaoxia realized midway through that his "encouragement" could awaken the latent power in the four men's transformed bodies, he pushed a little harder to test it.
He had never expected such spectacular results.
The four men now radiated heat like furnaces, driving away the chill from being soaked in the rain.
Of course, everyone present was burning with excitement inside.
Though Su Su and the others wished they could take the four naked men's places, they felt that hearing this secret had at least given them more opportunities than the four had.
As for the four prospective knights, that went without saying.
After Qin Xiaoxia's lengthy "brainwashing" tonight, coupled with the debt they owed him for saving their lives and the sense of closeness from having their souls repaired by his magic power, they were already eager to die for Dawn.
With the searing heat coursing through their bodies fueling their excitement, the four could no longer contain themselves and rose to their feet together.
"I am willing!"
"I am willing!"
"I am willing!"
"I am willing!"
Their voices rang out simultaneously, equally loud. Had the home of Su Su's grandmother, who had been a diviner in life, not been so remote, they probably would have startled all the neighbors awake.
Their response was more than a roar. All four had already etched the knight's oath deep into their minds.
Qin Xiaoxia smiled and gave each of them a slight nod.
Then he made sure not to neglect Su Su, Jenny, and the others.
Addressing everyone present with solemn regard, Qin Xiaoxia encouraged them in a firm, confident voice.
"In each of you here, I have seen courage, conviction, and a deep regard for your friends. These qualities are already precious beyond measure. Power can be acquired, but spirit and will are difficult to replicate."
"These are precisely the outstanding qualities Dawn values most."
"Are you willing to walk with us into the deepest darkness, even if thorns bar the way, even if flames consume you?"
His calm question received a deafening response.
There could no longer be any other answer.
That's it. Total wipeout!
Doudou stuffed the last bite of sandwich into his mouth, deeply impressed that his "older cousin" had achieved this jaw-dropping result without using any magic power at all.
Sure enough, my older cousin is the most terrifying monster of all!
Doudou had now accepted the title "older cousin" from the bottom of his heart. Well, perhaps adding "monster" before it would be more appropriate.
The gains from this trip were undoubtedly immense, making the Wish Coin Qin Xiaoxia had spent to bring Doudou here well worth it.
The greatest prize was naturally the raw mother crystal from the demonized mineral vein. Once he figured out how to produce magic-energy crystals, it would be a genuine gold mine.
The four "knights" were an unexpected bonus.
After he repaired their shattered, dying souls with his magic power, the survivors had actually undergone such a peculiar transformation.
He had effectively stumbled upon a path to power.
If he could also put some research into changes in the ** in the future, who knew whether that might grant some special enhancement?
Qin Xiaoxia suddenly developed a keen interest in the laboratories in the association's old house.
Of course, everything would have to proceed slowly as he explored a workable path.
After all, he was not so twisted that he would deliberately cripple someone's soul for an experiment.
The 19th Special Organization Department.
It was a department under the National Security Agency, responsible for new types of national security projects.
It had been established less than a year ago.
Its creation had been prompted only by a few discoveries in the Middle East and several domestic "paranormal incidents," to build a "basic reserve" for a contingency plan that might never be needed.
Originally, it had been a small department, so small that it had fewer than ten permanent members.
But!
As time passed, certain changes began to catch the attention of intelligence departments whose instincts were still reasonably sharp.
At least ten percent of these could not be explained through conventional knowledge, and that proportion was gradually showing signs of rising.
Ten percent was not to be underestimated. On a national scale, that was already a remarkable figure.
There were also occasional exchanges of information with several major countries through political and scientific channels.
A faint state of vigilance was taking shape, both openly and behind the scenes.
The clearest sign was that the 19th Special Organization Department's funding had increased several hundredfold within a year.
Tonight, however, was not being kind to the people in this small department.
At 2:40 a.m., Colonel Norton, the department's executive officer, received an emergency call at home.
It jolted him from sleep, sending him springing half a meter off his bed.
Ignoring his wife's complaints, Norton dressed as fast as he could and splashed himself with icy water to sharpen his mind.
Then he rushed out of the house and headed straight for the airport.
On the drive, Norton made nine calls to issue orders and gather information.
By the time he reached the airport, more than a dozen of the department's elite personnel had gathered in front of the dedicated aircraft.
"Take off immediately!"
Norton had no intention of hesitating. Once he saw that the key personnel were all present, he immediately ordered takeoff.
On the plane, everyone gathered around the computers to examine the images sent from Los Angeles.
Especially those of the seven corpses.
Their crystal-covered bodies reflected the camera flashes, looking eerie and horrifying.
"Get me all the weather data from the Los Angeles meteorological department, from five this afternoon until now."
"Pull every file from before and after the disappearance of the crystal ore at the salvage yard."
"Find the time when the crystal ore first appeared, everything on Old Ode, and all past and recent survey records for that land!"
"Get..."
Norton issued a string of orders aboard the plane.
Not only those on the aircraft, but the entire 19th Special Organization Department went into overdrive.
Though they were somewhat flustered.
Once orders had been issued for everything that could be done, Norton and those around him quieted down for the moment.
They still had at least ten hours of flying ahead of them before reaching Los Angeles.
What an agonizingly long wait!
That was what Norton thought.
Meanwhile, of the two culprits behind all this upheaval, the little chunk of ore had already been "brought to justice," while the man who had exhausted himself for half the day had settled in at Mark's house to rest.
Apart from the four Qin Xiaoxia had saved, the other naked men sent to the hospital for emergency treatment would not be waking up anytime soon.
As for the four naked men-no, the four prospective knights-they planned to end up "unconscious" in various places around Los Angeles, each in his own way.
They would use their convenient status as victims to try to extract the "necessary intelligence."
Qin Xiaoxia reclined on a bed even more comfortable than the one at home, tossing the raw crystal sealed with his magic power in one hand and holding a glass of orange juice in the other.
"As the saying goes, those who fail to plan ahead will soon find trouble at their door. The changes in this world are bound to trigger increasingly intense chain reactions. If we want to keep enjoying good food, we at least have to make sure there are still people around to cook it. Right, Doudou?"
Doudou nodded vigorously beside him.
His older cousin was right about everything!!
PS: Thanks to reader "May I Ask Who You Are" for the 500-coin tip, and reader "Brave Pan-Fried Bun" for the 100-coin tip~~